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Character Name: Wisdom
Species: Elf
Species description: Wisdom comes from a tribal line with an old culture, a cushy life away from other spots of civilization, and a deep sense of superiority and pride. The Oenann live on the skirts of Eblistan's piece of the world, on the rivers near and within forests. They are skilled at hunting, fishing, own a wealth of knowledge of herbs, plants , and basic medicine taught to every generation, and are known for a unique style in pottery, art, and particularly well-made tools for their area. While surviving well on their own, they have had increasing trade with passing foreigners, deemed tolerable due to their small presence and access to items and knowledge otherwise unavailable.
They fit the expectation of an elf: agile, graceful, and extremely intelligent. More than once they've earned tales for their youthful, unnatural beauty and strong health. They own and teach an old-world wisdom and salvaged some beliefs, truths and practices lost elsewhere. From their history and the occasional reverence of foreigners, Wisdom's people are a very proud, selective clan with high standards to meet.
Gender: Male
Noteworthy Abilities / Limitations:
Impatient, Foolhardy. The street-rat acts on impulse and without forethought or caution. Even if the elf realizes the potential danger and the tailing consequences from a failure, it never seems worth dwelling on, preferring the force of willpower and a quick take-down against the problem. It does give the man an interest in dicey and threatening opportunities, however, and a willingness to improvise blind. On a good day, this acts as a high risk-high reward strategy. On a bad day, an angry lot of people sentence him to execution.
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Strong constitution, fast and athletic. One plus that passed down to the wanderer was the relatives' health. Wisdom doesn't die easy, illness is rare and a cut that could kill a human from blood loss, infection, and shock is fully survivable if watched. Further, Wisdom and his peers slowly realized that not only could he keep pace with the rest, he was stronger than most of them. Enough to gain an advantage against some and tighten the gap with other species.
Combat/Survival Skill. The little Wisdom learned - all from reluctant or sympathetic relatives - makes him decent at surviving on his own with limited resources, in environments surrounding or nearby his home. It lacks the skill of his home, but he has a better shot in the wilderness. The fighter also learned how to use and maintain weaponry and the most common tools, and the principles of how to handle various scuffles. Wisdom was taught to use swords, and bows for a small time. The rules were to be fast, evasive, accurate, and stealthy. He never picked up on the stealth and always integrates a more aggressive offense, but he learned to appreciate the speed and the value of ducking your head to keep it. Wisdom gets more cuts and pain than anyone back home would in a lifetime, but he deals out more damage and daunts the inexperienced.
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Low Intelligence. Wisdom is slow to learning and easy prey for a good con to maneuver mentally. The rare case in which Wisdom invests in learning a subject takes him a great time longer than the average individual.
Destructive. The elf gets a kick out of rousing trouble. The majority of entertainment in Wisdom's life spawns from destroying another person's property, harassment, or similarly making life difficult. In some cases, even when it is counterproductive to his well-being, out of spite.
Detrimental to Diplomacy. An ugly pointy-eared face stripped of an elf's refinement disappoints and repels outsiders almost as much as it does relatives. That topped with a nails-to-eyes charm which wrings out curses from the pious, and Wisdom's talent to ruin a good day, makes the chance of friends or friendly agreement plummet past the bottom line.
Background:
His name was something his mother, Morghne, had insisted on. Wisdom was loathed as a failure and disappointment before birth. The Oenann always use arranged marriages to keep or gain genetic and economic value, and keep the marriages within the tribe when possible. Morghne was an older teenager with a skill at being difficult and an interest in the passer-by's. One night Morghne caught the interest of one of the travelers, a mutt with bad genes and a muddled bloodline. The elf owned no title or thing of value, but he flattered and charmed the girl for one night and gave her a belly swollen with his child. If the foreigner had ever intended to return, the Oenann ensured it never happened, and Morghne and her child were alienated with the realization of what had happened. The tribe kept her, but were appalled by her decision and disgusted by the child.
It is possible it would have been forgotten if Wisdom was special enough to be reconsidered as a gift. But his birth only embittered attitudes. Wisdom grew into a strange, ugly, clumsy boy with too much energy, enthusiasm, a strong and ruinous streak of mischief, and no patience, intelligence or skill. The features he took from the Oenann were morphed into an alien face, a reminder of Morghne's mistake and a chink in the tribe's pride. Wisdom was a deep shame and heavy burden for a people used to the reverence of others.
Out of stubbornness and the sake of her child, Morghne fought tooth and nail to keep her son, have him cared for as any other child there, and was part of what roped in direct relatives to help Wisdom. It was them, and an older friend and an elder that sympathized with Wisdom's plight, that ensured he had at least the most basic lessons. Originally, Wisdom was set to learn everything any child did in the Oenann, but they realized that subjects like their oral history would go nowhere. He most took to hunting, exploration, and combat, and his tutors' gradual progress in turning these into skills Wisdom could use was similar to the gradual progress of making a hole in the wall by beating one's head on it.
Despite her protection and love, Morghne had a plain embarrassment about her mistake, and Wisdom knew a good part wished she could undo it and have back the deep kinship of the others and the dignity of her culture.
Wisdom rapidly surpassed his mother in the matter of the difficult and rebellious child. Even young, he began to take to the outsiders and the outside beliefs, attitudes, and practices that frustrated and annoyed the tribe. He'd excitedly greet, chatter, and eventually trade with anyone coming through, occasionally doling out lies and secrets about the clan that made his peers squirm. He largely dumped the Oenann faith, tied to nature and their history, to pick up bits and pieces of everyone else's. Including Eblistan's major faith and the Bak'Rah's words. And as Wisdom had already past the point that meeting the family standards mattered, he grew into an adult with very lax, flexible attitudes about the world and what was acceptable.
As the family disappointment, Wisdom didn't bother with duties unless convenient or enjoyable, and with every year he would leave without notice for longer periods of time. To the majority's relief and appreciation. By the time he was an adult, Wisdom was absent half the time, branching out further and further beyond the borders he knew. Within the next year, a large merchant group visited, mentioning that they were headed to Eblistan Citadel, and Wisdom jumped on the chance. Eblistan Citadel was closer to Wisdom's opinions than the Oenann, he figured, and it was an easy way for passage. He took a cheap job in the band, enough to have small change that ran out after the first meal. Since then Wisdom's taken any job that's come by, whether packing, as a bodyguard, unskilled labor or crimes. More often than not, there was no job, and Wisdom was living off of stealing. He'd rush in and take from the public marketplace more than once because a fruit looked good enough, and botch it to the point he'd have to outrun the authorities running to the fussing civilians. In a month, Wisdom made five accounts of major property damage, three times intentional. Worse, Wisdom picked poor targets, stealing, damaging the property, and harassing a small-time mob boss, and a notable wealthy couple, among others. Without a friend or any power to compensate, jobs ran dry and trouble ran him down. A small gang working for a spurned individual finally found Wisdom sleeping in an alley at night, one member spotting his face from before. After they earned their pay by ensuring Wisdom felt a "sliver of the shit" the employer dealt with, they turned the elf into the Caliph's men the next day.
Appearance: There's no technical defect. But anyone, certainly an elf or one whose seen them, will notice Wisdom is off. His look is extreme in atypical ways. The deep tan skin is rougher, harder, and the face wide, too wide for his features. Including a heavy brow, a tall nose with a pudgy tip, and a mouth too wide with large teeth. The eyes remain large and slanted, and the brown iris fills its space, but one is larger and both protrude from the sunken face. The high cheekbones make Wisdom all the more gaunt, and seem years older. The elf grows facial and body hair, a trait never seen in the others. Despite being slightly shorter than average and fit, he looks lanky and awkward, lacking the poise people expect. A rumor sprouted back home that Wisdom's father was a dwarf, with a solid crew of believers.
Before the dungeon, Wisdom carried a well-made longsword from home, with the fine black and gold engravings indicative of his tribe, a large sack full of whatever he stole or found, a small amount of money leftover from jobs, and a whittling stone. He wore some light and basic leather armor.
Reason for Detainment: Stealing, assault, damage to private and public property, delinquency. A few people of note in Eblistan made sure he was found, after a good pounding.